Beyond the Books - March 2024
March 13, 2024
At Cretin-Derham Hall, students have important opportunities to grow, learn and thrive both in the classroom and 'beyond the books!' In fact, 98% of students participate in one or more sports or activities.
Beyond the Books is our brag book on all of your favorite co-curriculars at CDH: athletics, activities, JROTC, Campus Ministry, and the Arts. This can also be a place for occasional school-wide athletic department updates and current news on some of our activities.
ATHLETICS | ACTIVITIES | CAMPUS MINISTRY | THEATER | JROTC | BAND & CHOIR
Athletics
Boys Basketball
By Tony Yazbeck, Assistant Coach
The boys basketball team defeated Forest Lake 85-81 in 2OT to capture the outright Suburban East Conference Championship with a conference record of 17-1 and an overall record of 22-4. The Raiders are currently ranked #6 in Class AAAA and earned the #1 seed in the Section 4AAAA Tournament, where they defeated #4 St. Paul Central 79-68 behind Jojo Mitchell’s '26 33 points. CDH will host #3 Tartan in the Section 4AAAA Championship game on Thursday, March 14 at 7pm. Go Raiders!
Girls Basketball
By Tara Seifert, Head Coach
The CDH Girls Basketball team had a strong first round Section game beating Minneapolis South 61-29. Many players contributed to the success and Lauren Bengtson '24 led scoring with 18 points. In the Section Semi-final game on March 2, the Raiders fell short losing to Como Park 56-55. The team battled back from a 13 pt deficit late in the second half with a chance to win. The Raiders finished the season with a record of 11-17. The girls overcame a lot of adversity along the way with multiple injuries throughout the season. I am so proud of the positive teamwork and culture the program felt throughout the season. We have a lot to be proud of and we hope to continue to build on this season in our summer workouts. We also had a lot of success within our lower level teams this season! Thanks to all the players and parents for their hard work and support this year!
The team had multiple players get recognition for SEC All Conference awards:
SEC All Conference
- Lauren Bengtson '24
- Suraya Hodges '24
SEC Honorable Mention All Conference
- Tank Edwards '25
- Sage Gilbert '26
- Kyla Laguda '27
Academic All-State Award
- Lauren Bengtson
Girls Dance
By Angie Keske, Program Manager
The Raider Dance Team successfully completed their season placing 4th in Varsity Jazz and 5th in Varsity Kick at Section finals. We are most proud of the positive team culture created this year and the success the Raiders had on the dance floor. This memorable season left us grateful for all of the countless hours of practice, the team bonding experiences and the growth in character, leadership and dance technique over the past 4 months. Thank you to the CDH community for the outpouring of support. We had the largest Raider fan group ever at sections with so many teachers, students and staff showing up to cheer. The Varsity Jazz performance even brought many of us to tears.
The Junior Varsity team competed in the Mounds View Invitational at the end of January placing 2nd in Kick and 3rd in Jazz. During the perfomance, Ani Kachmarek ‘27 showed leadership by calling out timing and encouraging her teammates to dance with confidence & passion. Both performances were the best of the season and proved that hard work, dedication and good coaching can transform a routine.
The Junior Raider Dance Team performed for the last time at the Anoka Invitational in January. Leah Bartel ‘30, Lindsey Nuemann ‘29, Camryn Tesch ‘30, and Lucia Ticcioni ‘29 excelled at precision and teamwork. The Junior Raider Dance Team works on the foundational skills of performance dance and dancers form lifelong friendships that will take middle schoolers into high school. Seventh and eighth grade students have the opportunity to try out and compete at the high school level. Any middle school student interested in participating in spring or summer dance camps should sign up on the CDH Athletics website.
The captains of the Raider Dance Team are Emily Boss ‘25, Penelope Deignan ‘25, Cailin Ryan ‘25, and Alayna Verdeja ‘25. The Head Coach is Zohra Rouna ‘17 and the Assistant Coaches are Anna Blake ‘10, Emily Hunkeapillar, Hannah Heitzman, and Ashley Rascher. The Raiders will start their spring 5 week training program in April and any middle or high school student is invited to attend. GO Raiders!
Girls Golf
By Megan Fee Smith ‘00, Head Varsity Coach
The CDH Girls Golf Team will start the spring season on Monday, March 18 with a three-day tryout process for 18 spots on the roster: Varsity (6 golfers), JV Purple (6 golfers), JV Gold (6 golfers). Team captains are returning Varsity golfers Lauren Bengtson ‘24, Lily Vincelli ‘24 and Else Wermager ‘24.
The team will practice their drives, chips, and putts with coaches to prepare for the conference matches. The first JV conference 9-hole match is scheduled for Wednesday, April 10 at River Oaks golf course. The opening Varsity conference 9-hole match will be on Tuesday, April 16 at Tanners Brook golf course in Forest Lake, followed by an 18-hole conference match at Prestwick in Woodbury on Thursday, April 18. The girls will play conference matches at North Oaks, Troy Burne, White Bear Yacht Club, Midland Hills, Stillwater CC, and Oak Glen. CDH will host their Varsity and JV match on Monday, April 22 at Highland National golf course with a 3p shotgun start. All are welcome to come to the course and cheer for the Raider golf team! The Varsity and JV conference schedules are posted on the CDH Girls Golf website.
Megan Fee Smith ‘00 is returning as the Varsity Head Coach. Megan Namowicz is returning as the JV Coach and Molly Ploetz ‘17 is returning as the Assistant Coach. Go Raider Golf!
Boys Hockey
By Matt Funk, Head Coach
The Raiders defeated #3 Centennial 4-3 in 2OT and then defeated #5 Grand Rapids 6-3 to capture 3rd place in the MN Boys State Hockey tournament. The Raiders were the fifth seed in the section after completing a 14-10-1 regular season with seven 1 goal losses. The Raiders beat #4 seed Park 4-0 in the quarterfinals, #1 Seed Eastview 3-2 in OT, and #3 seed St. Thomas Academy. This qualified the team for their 3rd straight State Tournament after a 3-1 win against rival St. Thomas Academy in the section final. Goaltender Owen Nelson '25 won all 3 games for the Raiders and stopped 35 shots in the section final. Captain Chuck Owens '24 had two goals in the final and continued his torrid pace in the sections. What a hockey season for Head Coach Matt Funk and this Raider hockey team!
Girls Lacrosse
By Jeff Rosga ’89, Head Coach
Our off-season training has seen a surge in player participation. We're thrilled to witness the sport's rapid expansion, offering more opportunities than ever for our student-athletes to thrive. We're poised to elevate our game and compete fiercely against some of the best, including last year's state champ, Benilde St. Margaret in this upcoming season and invite you all to come support the Raiders!
Practice and tryouts kick off on April 1, so make sure you're geared up, prepared and ready to hit the field. Let's make 2024 a season to remember, filled with culture, camaraderie, growth, and unforgettable moments on the field. Get ready to lace up your cleats, grab your stick, and let’s make this season memorable.
Boys Swim and Dive
By Mike Steineman ’92, Head Coach
The CDH Boys Swim team had a strong end of season! The postseason for the Boys' Swimming and Diving Team began on Saturday, February 17 when our JV Swimmers competed in the Suburban East Conference JV Meet at Oltman Middle School (East Ridge's home pool). We had ten swims at the meet and all ten were lifetime bests! We are also pleased to announce that the following swimmers have earned All-Conference and All-Conference Honorable Mention!
All-Conference:
- Matt Baumberger '24
- Joseph Ayalew '24
- Jack Kirchberg '25
- Owen Sargent '26
All-Conference Honorable Mention:
- Ryan Cunningham '27
- Isaac Van Oosterom '25
- Finn Dougherty '24
The MSHSL Section 6AA Championships were Thursday, February 22. The Raiders competed in prelims and were led by Captains Matt Baumberger and Finn Dougherty. The Raiders had an excellent meet at the Art Downey Aquatic Center at South View Middle School in Edina. We earned Gold Academic Status with a team GPA of 3.89! Teams with a GPA of 3.75 and higher earn Gold Academic Status, while teams that have a GPA from 3.50-3.74 earn Silver Academic Status. This is the 18th year in a row that we have earned Gold or Silver Status! Additionally, it is the 7th Gold Status for the team since the awards were created in 2006.
At prelims, we had twenty-three total swims and twenty of them were seasonal or lifetime bests! Sixteen of those swims placed in the top sixteen and swam on Saturday, February 24 during Section Finals. During Finals, eleven of the sixteen swims were lifetime or seasonal bests. Senior Captain Matt Baumberger placed 3rd in the 200 IM with a time of 1:54.53 and qualified for State. He also defended his section title in the 100 Butterfly winning the event in a time of 51.00.
The season ended on Saturday, March 2 at the MSHSL Class AA State Swimming and Diving Meet. Baumberger finished his high school swimming career with his fourth trip to State. Matt finished in 13th place in the 200 Individual Medley and was 8th in the 100 Butterfly. His 8th place finish earned him All-State Honors where he will represent CDH at the MSHSCA Swimming & Diving All-State Banquet held on Friday, April 26 at the Minneapolis Marriott Northwest. This was the team's tenth consecutive trip to the State Meet and the twenty-seventh time in the past twenty-eight years!
Additional awards and honors include:
Minnesota High School Coaches Association Senior Academic Excellence:
- Joseph Ayalew '24
- Matt Baumberger '24
- Finn Dougherty '24
National Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association Academic All-American Qualifiers:
- Joseph Ayalew '24
- Matt Baumberger '24
- Finn Dougherty '24
Congrats on a fantastic season! As we enter the off-season, please contact us if you are interested in being on our team next year. We are looking to continue our success and are especially looking for divers. If you are, or know, someone who will be in 7th-12th grade next season and would like more information, please email Head Coach Mike Steineman '92.
Boys Tennis
By Randy Muetzel, Head Coach
The Student Athlete Meeting is on March 21 from 2:50-3:05 pm. The team will go over practice locations and times during Easter break.
Practice dates over Easter Break: March 25, 26, 27, 28 and April 1. Times and locations will depend on the weather.
If you are interested in joining the tennis team, please contact Mr. Randy Muetzel.
Track and Field
By Chris Babcock, Head Coach
On Monday, March 11 boys' and girls' Track and Field kicked off the season in the Cretin-Derham Hall fitness center at 3 pm. Practices will run daily from 3 - 5 pm. All experience levels are welcome. There are 18 different events ranging from 100m to 3200m and individual and relays on the track. In the field there are horizontal and vertical jumps as well as throwing events and pole vault. Teams are determined by performance in the events athletes would like to compete. See coach Chris Babcock or Coach Alex Nuy if you have any questions. Once weather permits we will be practicing at Macalester College in St. Paul.
Activities
History Day
By Jenn Androsky, Moderator
On Monday March 4, at the University of Minnesota West Bank Campus, CDH students competed in the highly competetive Metro Senior Regional Competition. The following students' projects have been chosen by the judges to advance to the State Competition on Saturday, April 20 at the Minneapolis Convention Center. It is at the State Competition that the top two projects in each category will be chosen to advance to the National Competition in June, in Washington D.C.
In addition, CDH had one project chosen to be awarded honorable mention. Though not advancing to the State Competition, the judges wanted to honor their excellent work. Here are the results for CDH. Congratulations to these students.
Individual Exhibit
- Joey Hover '26 - The Pink Triangle
Individual Website
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Carl Steinhoff '26 - The Minneapolis Flour Milling Boom: The Industry That Built a City
Group Website
- Emily Boss '25 and Grace Nickel '25- Dorothea Lang: Turning Point in Photojournalism
- Jackson Drieman '26, Louis Reinartz' 26 and Griffin Becker '26- The Impact Of The FDA
- Sage Gilbert '26 and Olivia Laughlin '26 - Title IX
Individual Documentary
-
Holly Johnson '26 - Turning Point For Women’s Service In The Military
Group Exhibit - Honorable Mention - not advancing to State
-
Sofie Goodlund '26 and Taylor Williams '26 - The Polio Vaccine (1955)
Model UN
By Jody Cornett, Moderator
The Model UN club recently took part in the Model UN Spring Conference. Topics that were covered were
- UNDP - Investing in Safe Migration Pathways
- ECOSOC - Fostering Economic Growth for Small Island Developing States (SIDS),
- Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs)
- Security Council 2 (Advanced) - The Future of the Taliban
Robotics
By Jeff Winsor '09, Moderator
The CDH Robotics Team, Windchill, were the recipients of the Imagery Award, and made a strong showing at the First Robotics Competition in Grand Forks this weekend. Watch some of the competition here.
Campus Ministry
Upcoming Events
Lenten Reconciliation, March 12 and 13. We are providing an opportunity for students to celebrate this sacrament during their religion classes. We offer reconciliation twice each school year as it has become a sacred and integral part of our school's preparation for the celebration of the Christmas and Easter seasons. We will have two priests available each period so anyone wishing to go to reconciliation will be able to do so.
Easter Mass, April 3. Our Easter Mass will be held the second day back from break and feature the choir and band and our growing music ministry group. Our chaplain, Fr. Pat Kennedy will preside as we celebrate this most important time, Jesus's victory of sin and death, and salvation for humankind. The ultimate sacrifice for love.
Grandparents Mass, April 16, 8:15 am. At this mass grandparents are invited to join their student for mass and refreshments. A few students will share their reflections on the importance of grandparents in our lives. All our welcome. If grandparents are unable to attend, students may choose to invite another significant senior citizen in their life. All CDH students are encouraged to attend.
Junior Class Retreats - On April 17 the juniors will go on retreat. The women of the junior class, under the direction of Ms. Lou Anne Tighe, Dr. Claire Bischoff and other women of the staff, will gather at Augustana Lutheran Church in W. St. Paul. The men of the junior class, under the direction of Mr. Mark McGuire, Mr. Peter Gleich and other men of the staff, will gather at St. Peter's Church in Mendota. Each retreat will be a time for the students to begin looking at their role as the soon to be leaders/Senior Class of CDH. In particular, their role as "servant leaders" will be explored and the profound impact they can have on our CDH community by helping model and live out the prayer invocations of the Sisters of St. Joseph and the Christian Brothers, that we do feel and see that we are always in the Holy Presence of God by loving the Dear Neighbor without Distinction.
Baccalaureate Mass, May 29. We honor our graduates and their parents/guardians as we celebrate the Eucharist. It is the kickoff of a great day for our seniors, and what a wonderful way to start graduation day. We highlight many of our senior musicians and speakers as we send our graduates off in a meaningful, thoughtful way.
Service Opportunities
Habitat for Humanity....Our second to the last Habitat for Humanity building day is coming up on March 15. Students and staff will once again return to St. Paul Park to help with a multi unit build. The following students and staff, Emma Butler, Lucy Cornett, Jaziel Enriquez Olvera, Annabel Fulton, Thomas Graves, Vivienne Hughes, Keishion Jarmon, Gina Lopiano, Mr. Mark McGuire and Mr. Aaron Puent will help in the construction of safe, quality and affordable homes for families who are seeking a place to put down roots and truly call home. Our final Habitat building day of the year will be on Friday, April 26. All students age 16 and older are encouraged to consider being part of this amazing day of service! Interested students should see Mr. Gleich in Campus Ministry if you have any questions.
Theater
By Penelope Parsons Lord, Theater Director
Here in the Lillian Theatre our students are hard at work on the action-packed Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical. We are excited to share this amazing production with you – we are only 2 weeks into rehearsal and already the students can’t wait to get on stage and share this magical musical with the CDH community!
Inspired by the twisted genius of Roald Dahl, the Tony Award-winning Roald Dahl's Matilda The Musical is the captivating masterpiece that revels in the anarchy of childhood, the power of imagination and the inspiring story of a girl who dreams of a better life. Matilda has won 47 international awards and continues to thrill sold-out audiences of all ages around the world.
Packed with high-energy dance numbers, catchy songs, children and adults alike will be delighted by the story of the special little girl with an extraordinary imagination.
Friday, April 26 - 7 pm
Saturday, April 27 - 7pm
Sunday, April 28 - 2 pm
Friday, May 3, 7 pm
Saturday, May 4, 2p and 7 pm
Sunday, May 5, 2 pm
JROTC
By SGM David Berrisford '91, MSG Ken Peloski, COL Scrocca, and SFC Thingvold
Almost 200 cadets and their guests took part in a time honored military tradition last month as the annual JROTC Military Ball was held at TST Catering and Event Hall in Saint Paul. The cadets looked sharp in their full dress uniforms and evening gowns as they farewelled the departing seniors with a saber arch before enjoying a great meal, dancing, and building unit camaraderie and espirit-de-corps. What a blast! This event keeps getting better and better and we are so proud and appreciative of how respectful and well-mannered the cadets and their guests were. We are already looking forward to next year!
To close out the 2nd Trimester, 11th graders took their Junior Officer Exam. Based on their scores, the top 15 cadets were promoted to 2nd Lieutenant this week and are eligible to apply for a diamond officer position next year. For those that do not meet the cut off, the exam will be offered again at the end of the school year. Congratulations to John Cavanagh '25, Tyson Cerise '25, Annika Clift '25, Andrew Ek '25, Lupe Fruen '25, Noah Gomez '25, Mostyn Guyott '25, Margaret Marrinan '25, Grace McSherry '25, Michale Nobrega '25, Connor Quinn '25, Jeremiah Thom '25, Yafiet Zemichael '25, and Hamelat Zerihun '25.
The Raider Brigade will now start preparing for our annual Army Cadet Command Inspection which will take place on March 21. The formal Army inspection and evaluation is conducted by representatives of the Army Cadet Command 3rd Brigade from Chicago and active duty soldiers and cadets from the University of Minnesota ROTC Department. In addition to the formal inspection of the Corps of Cadets, the evaluation includes meetings with the school administration, an evaluation of JROTC and school facilities, a drill presentation, color guard presentation, knowledge examinations and cadet presentations on their Service Learning and Continuous Improvement Projects.
The spring Orienteering season will kick off this month as the Rifle Team season ends later this month and other JROTC co-curricular activities begin to wind down over the next couple months.
Finally, this is the last call for permission slips for the final event of the school year – the JROTC Cadet Leadership Challenge at Camp Wilderness in Park Rapids from May 28 - June 1. In this CDH-led event, 12 Raider Brigade cadets will join approximately 50 other Army JROTC cadets from other Army JROTC programs throughout the region to participate in a host of individual leadership and team-building activities to include: rock wall climbing, rappelling, a high ropes course, archery, kayaking, and orienteering.
Choir and Band
By Delilah Schuster, Choir Director and Nick Zahler, Band Director
The Band and Choir trip to San Diego was a great success! Students and chaperones alike had a ton of fun during this busy long weekend in California. First, we got expert feedback on our musical technique through clinics with faculty at Point Loma Nazarene University, which we later got to show off with performances at historical venues such as the Mission San Diego de Alcalà Church and the USS Midway.